FEW COUNTRIES IN THE WORLD have roots that stretch back in time to pre-recorded history. The earliest human activity in the Indian sub-continent can be traced back to the early, middle and late Stone Ages (400,000-200,000 BC). Implements from all three periods have been found in Rajasthan, Gujarat, Bihar, parts of what is now Pakistan and the southernmost tip of the Indian Peninsula
One can broadly define different periods or influences in the history of this land, many of which overlap each other. They are classified according to ancient, medieval, British and modern period
Ancient Indian history includes the pre-historic period, the Indus valley civilisation, the Vedic and epic ages and a period of transition when Mahavira and Buddha lived. The emergence of the Mauryan empire followed thereafter ending in a series of invasions, the rise of the Deccan kingdoms and the Gupta dynasty followed by an age of fragmentation into smaller kingdoms that eventually led to the reign of Harshavardhana. In the south the rule of the Chalukyas, Pallavas & Pandyas were followed by the Cholas and in the North the invasion of Mahmud of Ghazni leads us into the medieval history of India.
